Waltco Warm Hand Gloves

ABSTRACT

A thermal glove for providing warmth to a hand of the user includes a top section for covering a top of the thermal glove, a bottom section for covering a bottom of the thermal glove, a heating element positioned between the top section and the bottom section for heating the interior of the thermal glove, and a temperature control device to control the heating element to control the interior temperature of the thermal glove. The temperature control device may be a variable temperature control device, and the thermal glove includes a controller circuit for controlling the heating element. The thermal glove includes a battery circuit for providing power to the heating element, and the thermal glove includes a charging circuit for charging the battery circuit. The battery circuit may be connected to a knife connection device, and the battery circuit may be connected to an A/C connector device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention relates generally to gloves fitted to be worn on ahuman hand and, more specifically, to thermal gloves having a heatingelement integrated with a body of the glove for improved comfort.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of thermal glove and mitten designs have been proposed whichincorporate a chemical or fuel-burning heating element within the gloveor mitten shell for warming the hands of the wearer. Examples of suchgloves, which are generally designed for cold temperature, outdooractivities such as snow skiing, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,970,081issued to Eisendrath on Aug. 14, 1934; U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,671 issued toMonk on Oct. 1, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,482 issued to Spector et al.on Aug. 20, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,579 issued to Dunford on May 10,1988; and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,579 issued to Rinehart on Jul. 30,1991.

Representative of these designs, Eisendrath (U.S. Pat. No. 1,970,081)discloses a thermal mitten having an inner lining and outer coveringlayer with a closeable pocket of waterproof material in between theinner and outer layers above the back hand portion of the glove. Thepocket is designed to receive a chemical heating packet activated bywetting to impart heat to the hand of the wearer. In a comparabledesign, Monk (U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,671) discloses a thermal mitten havinga closeable pouch formed in a lining of the mitten at the front (fingerportion) or back hand portion of the mitten, the pouch being adapted toreceive a heating element. In another comparable design, Dunford (U.S.Pat. No. 4,742,579) discloses a winter sports mitten having a heaterpocket between an exterior face and inner glove lining of the mitten toreceive a chemical heat pack.

In yet additional related designs, Rinehart (U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,003)and Spector et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,482) disclose thermal glovesheated by a chemical pack, or fuel-burning pocket warmer, respectively,contained within a pocket formed between inner and outer lining layersof the glove. Rinehart further discloses a liquid filled bladdercoextensive with the glove lining, i.e., surrounding the palm andfingers, for distributing heat or cold generated by an exothermic orendothermic, chemical heat pack from the wrist portion of the glove tothe extremities of the fingers. Spector et al. disclose a comparabledesign which uses strips of thermally conductive material extendingalong the thumb and fingers to distribute heat generated by afuel-burning hand warmer throughout the hand, particularly to thevulnerable finger extremities.

Numerous problems attend the foregoing thermal glove and mitten designs.Among these problems is a typically heavy glove construction and bulkyheat pack design which is poorly adapted for different environments andactivities other than cold weather sports. Thus, these bulky designs maybe poorly adapted for light activities such as walking and driving, orfor indoor use such as in the work place.

In addition, each of the heat packs previously disclosed for use withgloves or mittens (including chemical and fuel-burning heat packs) allproduce a more or less constant and uncontrollable level of heating orcooling energy, whereby a higher or lower level of heating or coolingcannot be selected by the user for maximum comfort suited to differentenvironments and activities. Thus, these packs are again poorly adaptedfor use in different environments and activities ranging from coldoutdoor sporting activities, to mild weather and light activity use, toindoor use such as in the work place. In the latter case, thenon-adjustable heating capacity of prior art thermal gloves and mittensis not conducive to therapeutic uses of such devices in an indoorsetting, e.g., to alleviate computer strain or other technicalwork-related strain such as that caused by laboratory work. In addition,each of the previously disclosed heat packs fails to provide a fast,repeatable rechargeable heating source, which is desired for long-termuse, e.g., for long term therapeutic use during extended technical workactivities.

In addition to the foregoing deficiencies, the construction ofpreviously known thermal gloves and mittens is generally designed formanual shielding and thermal protection only. Moreover, the bulkydesigns of previously known thermal gloves and mittens are ill-adaptedfor use in conjunction with such technical activities, which typicallyrequire unimpeded dexterity and tactile sensitivity.

Beyond the field of thermal gloves and mittens designed for cold outdoorsporting activities, a variety of therapeutic devices are known in themedical arts which feature a heating or cooling element, such as thermalgel-packs adapted to warm or cool injured portions of a patient's body.Thus, Stout (U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,267, issued Jun. 9, 1987) discloses anorthopedic therapy device featuring a body of thermal gel which can beheated or refrigerated to provide appropriate thermal treatment to aninjured portion of a patient's body, e.g., an elbow, hand, or ankle. Inone embodiment, Stout depicts an orthopedic wrap formed of stretchfabric with securing ties which encases a body of thermal gel, whichwrap is designed for thermal treatment of body parts such as ankles,elbows and other joints. Alternatively, Stout discloses a thermal mittfor treatment of an injured hand, which mitt is bulky and features upperand lower, hand-shaped thermal gel bodies for warming or cooling theinjured hand. The mitt is heated or cooled and then placed over a fabricglove which is pre-fitted onto the patient's hand. In a comparabledisclosure, U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,596, issued to Walasek et al. on Sep.24, 1991, teaches a bulky thermal mitt adapted to surround a patient'shand and provide heat or cold treatment thereto. Like Stout, Walasek etal. features a large gel body, coextensive with the outline of the palmand fingers.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,801 discloses a thermal glove fitted to a human handhaving integrated with a body of the glove a thermal, gel-filled pack.The gel pack includes a sealed bladder constructed of flexible, durablematerial resistant to heat and rupture. The bladder encloses a thermalgel adapted for repeated heating and cooling, such as by microwaveexposure or refrigeration. The gel retains and transmits heat energy orcold to the hand of a wearer and is repeatable rechargeable. Inpreferred aspects of the invention, the gel pack is removable placedwithin a pocket integrated with the body of glove and adapted toremovable receive the gel pack. The pocket may include a closure tosecure the pack within the pocket. In other preferred aspects of theinvention, a technical glove is provided incorporating a thermal gelpack and further providing a support cuff extending up the forearm ofthe wearer for comfort, prosthetic and/or injury preventive use bytechnical workers, such as computer users and laboratory workers.

As in the case of the outdoor thermal gloves and mittens, discussedabove, numerous problems also attend the foregoing designs fortherapeutic heat compresses and mitts, particularly in the context ofactivities other than immobile patient therapy. Again, the problem ofheavy mitt construction and bulky heat pack design render these devicespoorly adapted for different environments and activities other thantreating injuries of an immobilized body part. In fact, these designsare poorly adapted for any active use, particularly any active userequiring unimpaired dexterity and tactile sensitivity such as computeruse, assembly manipulation, and laboratory work.

SUMMARY

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a thermalglove which is well adapted for different environments and activities,including cold weather sports, light activities such as walking anddriving, and indoor use such as for manual manipulative work.

It is an additional object of the invention to satisfy the above objectin a thermal glove having a controllable level of heating energy,whereby a higher or lower level of heating can be selected by the userfor maximum comfort suited to different environments and activities.

It is a further object that the electric storage device incorporatedwithin the thermal glove be adapted for fast, safe, and repeatablerecharging suitable for long-term use.

It is still a further object of the invention to satisfy the foregoingobjects in a thermal glove adapted for use in technical activities whichrequire unimpeded dexterity and tactile sensitivity, such as computeruse and laboratory work.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a thermalglove which is well adapted for different environments and activities,including cold weather sports, light activities such as walking anddriving, and indoor use such as for manual manipulative work.

In today's society, health and comfort reign supreme, and the WaltcoWarm Hands Glove referred to herein below as a thermal glove providesboth elements. The thermal glove of the present invention provides handwarmth for outdoor workers, such as construction workers, city workers,groundskeepers, telephone and utilities workers, air trafficcontrollers, parcel workers, couriers, truckers, soldiers/militarypersonnel—whose duties often keep them outside—summer and winter.Cyclists, warehouse and industrial workers—whose jobs subjects them toice sleet, snow and freezing temperatures that can affect circulationand cause frostbite also can benefit from Waltco Warm Hands Gloves.These gloves also provide hand warmth to everyday commuters that travelto and fro, whose hands are sensitive to cold temperatures in thecivilian communities. There are also health benefits to these gloveswhich can provide heat therapy for individuals who have been strickenwith arthritis, carpel tunnel syndrome, joint disease in the hands,swelling in the hands, sprains, strains, or individuals who have hadvarious types of orthopedic surgical procedures on their hands and otherailments that affect the hands and often require heat applications forheat therapy. The gloves can also be used by athletes for heat therapyto their hands which is a very valuable asset to their careers. TheWaltco Warm Hand Gloves can come in various styles, sizes, materials,textures, colors, thicknesses, lengths, and cosmetic designs. Thesegloves are designed with heating elements within the inner lining of thegloves' top, sides, palms, and/or wrist section and an outer lining ofheat deflecting material within the glove. These gloves have atemperature control device, which can be housed within the gloves orseparate from the gloves, either analog or digital, which control thetemperature of the gloves. The temperature control device can be batterypowered and/or rechargeable via wall socket (AC/DC), car cigarettelighter, or an external battery charging device, which can makerecharging the glove convenient for the end user, whether they are athome or traveling abroad. The outer glove can be constructed of leather,nylon, rayon polyester, or any other man made and or natural material.The wrist section of the gloves can have elastic type bands to assist inkeeping the heat from escaping. The gloves can benefit people from allwalks of life and all areas of professions—athletically, medically,everyday wear, or those who are expose to the outdoor elements, duringtheir on the job assignments, such as soldiers.

A thermal glove for providing warmth to a hand of the user includes atop section for covering a top of the thermal glove, a bottom sectionfor covering a bottom of the thermal glove, a heating element positionedbetween the top section and the bottom section for heating the interiorof the thermal glove, and a temperature control device to control theheating element to control the interior temperature of the thermalglove.

The temperature control device may be a variable temperature controldevice, and the thermal glove includes a controller circuit forcontrolling the heating element.

The thermal glove includes a battery circuit for providing power to theheating element, and the thermal glove includes a charging circuit forcharging the battery circuit.

The battery circuit is connected to a knife connection device, and thebattery circuit is connected to an A/C connector device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich, like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the top of the thermalglove of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the bottom of the thermalglove of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the side of the thermalglove of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a circuit diagram of the thermal glove of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a top of the thermal glove 100 of the presentinvention. The thermal glove 100 includes a finger section 102, a thumbsection 104 and a central hand section 106. FIG. 1 additionallyillustrates a heating element 108 which follows a path from thecontroller contact 110 and crosses the central hand section 106 andfollows the thumb section 104 and reenters the central hand section 106.From the central hand section 106, the path enters the finger section102 and exits the finger section 102 to reenter the central hand section106. The path exits the central hand section 106, enters the anotherfinger section 102, exits the finger section 102 and enters the centralhand section 106 repeatedly for each finger section 102. Finally, thepath crosses the central hand section 106 and terminates at anothercontroller terminal 110. The controller terminal 110 connects to aninput port 112 for the controller circuit 114. The controller housing124 houses the controller circuit 114 and includes a heating elementcontrol device 118 which allows the user to change the amount of heatflowing to the user's hand and includes a thermometric window 120 toallow the user to see the temperature of the thermal glove 100. A powercord 126 connects a plug 128 to the internal battery 250 of thecontroller circuit 114. The plug 128 removably connects into a knifeconnector device 130 which can be used to connect into a power supplysuch as found in an automobile so that the internal battery 250 can becharged while driving in the automobile, or the plug 128 may removablyconnect into A/C connector device 132 which is adapted to be connectedinto a household output device to receive standard A/C power.

FIG. 2 illustrates the bottom of the thermal glove 100 which includesthe finger section 102, the thumb section 104 and the central handsection 106. FIG. 2 illustrates at the bottom of the thermal glove 100is without the heating element 108. In another embodiment, the bottom ofthe thermal glove 100 could include the heating element 108 which couldgenerally mirror the path of the heating element 108 illustrated in thetop of the thermal glove 100 in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 illustrates across-section of the thermal glove 100 and could be a cross-section ofone of the finger section 102, the thumb section 104 and the centralhand section 106. FIG. 3 illustrates a top section 306 and a bottomsection 308. The top section 306 and the bottom section 308 includes anexterior surface 302 which is distal to the hand of the user and may beformed from heat reflective material or heat insulating material and aninterior surface 304 which is proximate to the hand of the user and maybe formed from material that transfers heat so that heat can betransferred from the heating element of 108. The exterior surface 302may be formed from leather, nylon, rayon, polyester or any otherman-made or natural material. The interior surface 304 may be formedfrom cotton, nylon, wool, polypropylene or other suitable natural orsynthetic fibers. Optionally, the top section 306 and the bottom section308 may include insulating layer 310 to provide insulation to helpprevent heat loss. The insulating layer 310 may be waterproof to protectthe heating element 108. The principles of the present invention areapplicable to a mitten.

FIG. 4 illustrates a controller circuit 402 which is connected to thebattery circuit 404 and which is connected to the battery chargingcircuit 406. The battery circuit 404 controls the power to the inputport 112 and consequently controls the heat emitted from the heatingelement 108. The variable temperature control device 122 is connected tothe controller circuit 402 and should provide an indication to thecontroller circuit 402 from the user on how warm or cool the thermalglove 100 should be. The controller circuit 402 controls the batterycircuit 404 to either increase or decrease or maintain the electriccurrent to the heating element 108 based on the variable temperaturecontrol device 122. Consequently, the user can control how warm or coldthe thermal glove 100 is. As the ambient temperature drops, the batterycircuit 404 can increase the amount of current to the heating element108 to maintain the temperature or if the user desires a differenttemperature, the battery circuit 404 can increase or decrease the powerto the heating element 108 in order to reach the desired temperature.The heating element 108 should be formed from flexible material andshould not fatigue due to bending. Additionally, the controller circuit402 controls the charging circuit 406 to control the rate of chargingfor the battery circuit 404. The charging circuit 406 is connected tothe power cord 136.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by wayof example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that the description herein of specificembodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particularforms disclosed.

1) A thermal glove for providing warmth to a hand of the user,comprising: a top section for covering a top of the thermal glove; abottom section for covering a bottom of the thermal glove; a heatingelement positioned between the top section and the bottom section forheating the interior of the thermal glove; a temperature control deviceto control the heating element to control the interior temperature ofthe thermal glove. 2) A thermal glove for providing warmth to a hand ofthe user as in claim 1, wherein the temperature control device is avariable temperature control device. 3) A thermal glove for providingwarmth to a hand of the user as in claim 1, wherein the thermal gloveincludes a controller circuit for controlling the heating element. 4) Athermal glove for providing warmth to a hand of the user as in claim 1,wherein the thermal glove includes a battery circuit for providing powerto the heating element. 5) A thermal glove for providing warmth to ahand of the user as in claim 4, wherein the thermal glove includes acharging circuit for charging the battery circuit. 6) A thermal glovefor providing warmth to a hand of the user as in claim 4, wherein thebattery circuit is connected to a knife connection device. 7) A thermalglove for providing warmth to a hand of the user as in claim 4, whereinthe battery circuit is connected to an A/C connector device.